Milwaukee City Wire

The U.S. Department of Education has recognized Nathaniel Hawthorne School and Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts as Green Ribbon Schools for their environmental efforts. These two schools, part of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), are among only 41 schools nationwide to receive this distinction and are the sole recipients from Wisconsin.

Representatives from both schools, including Hawthorne Principal Shantee Jude-Williams and Parkside Principal Lila Hillman, accepted the awards in Washington, D.C., in July. According to the Department of Education, the winners were “honored for innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and educate students on sustainability.”

At Hawthorne School, located at 6945 N. 41st St., nearly 36,000 square feet of pavement was replaced with green space and recreational areas. The new schoolyard includes an outdoor classroom, bioswales, a gaga ball pit, native plants, and a large underground cistern capable of managing approximately 84,300 gallons of stormwater per heavy rainfall event. This initiative was supported by a grant from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and the Green Schools Consortium of Milwaukee.

Hawthorne has also implemented energy-efficient measures such as LED lighting installation and computer power management settings. The school actively monitors its energy usage and indoor air quality while educating students on environmental issues through curriculum integration at every grade level.

Parkside School for the Arts, located at 2969 S. Howell Ave., serves over 850 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. The school emphasizes conservation through its gardening and agricultural program that includes an aquaponics lab and new hoop houses for growing vegetables. Classrooms adopt gardens year-round as part of an integrated arts-based curriculum.

Parkside has also focused on improving safety and convenience for walking or biking to school by adding bike racks and installing a raised crosswalk on Howell Avenue. Recent renovations include energy-efficient windows, water bottle filling stations, motion-sensor LED lighting systems, a sensory room for wellness activities, and various student clubs.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona stated: “This year’s U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools are leading school transformation in states that will help ensure all students in all communities have the opportunity to grow to become strong and healthy learners.”

Other Wisconsin educational entities recognized by the Education Department include Northland Pines School District in Eagle River; Creative Learning Preschool and Child Care Center in Madison; and the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie.